What foods should be eaten for throat cancer?

Written by Xu Qing Tian
Otolaryngology
Updated on April 06, 2025
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Laryngeal cancer is a common malignant tumor in everyday life. In the early stages, patients with laryngeal cancer usually experience symptoms such as hoarseness, coughing, and a foreign body sensation. In the middle and late stages, patients may suffer from breathing difficulties or even choking, as well as swallowing difficulties. When symptoms of laryngeal cancer appear, we should initially complete examinations with an electronic laryngoscopy, laryngeal CT scan, and pathological biopsy to determine the pathological type of the patient, to confirm the diagnosis. At the same time, we should pay attention to a light diet, primarily warm, cold, and semi-liquid foods, and avoid smoking and drinking alcohol. Additionally, we should detect tumors early and treat them promptly through surgery.

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Written by Zhang Jun
Otolaryngology
1min 9sec home-news-image

Where is throat cancer likely to metastasize?

The metastasis of laryngeal cancer primarily involves local spread, mainly to the lymph nodes in zones 2, 3, and 4 of the neck. When the cancer becomes more severe, it can break through the lymphatic vessels and spread to the liver, kidneys, spleen, brain, lungs, and other related areas. Laryngeal cancer is a malignant tumor of the pharyngeal region, typically caused by long-term smoking, drinking, immunodeficiency, and cellular mutations. It commonly occurs in the vocal cords, esophagus, laryngeal ventricle, piriform sinus, base of the tongue, and epiglottis. It causes patients to feel a foreign body sensation in the throat, persistent hoarseness that progressively worsens, irritative cough, difficulty swallowing, and difficulty breathing. An examination with an electronic laryngoscope can help diagnose the condition. If an abnormal mass is found, a local biopsy is necessary. If laryngeal cancer is confirmed, related surgical treatment as well as radiotherapy or chemotherapy may be required.

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Written by Li Rui
Otolaryngology
57sec home-news-image

Is stage 2 laryngeal cancer considered early stage?

Throat cancer is a relatively common otolaryngological disease, and clinically it is divided into four stages: stage I, stage II, stage III, and stage IV. Stage II is considered mid-stage, while stages III and IV are considered late-stage or very late-stage. In terms of treatment, most patients can opt for surgical removal. After the surgery, the pathological biopsy results, combined with the presence of lymph node metastasis in the neck and preoperative CT scans, are considered comprehensively. Some patients may solely undergo surgery as their treatment, while others may require additional radiotherapy after surgery. The main aim is to reduce the chances of postoperative recurrence, and it is necessary to undergo regular long-term check-ups, generally recommended every three months, to confirm whether there is any recurrence after the surgery.

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Written by Li Rui
Otolaryngology
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What are the symptoms of early-stage throat cancer?

The early symptoms of laryngeal cancer vary: some people exhibit typical symptoms while others show atypical symptoms or even no symptoms initially. For glottic laryngeal cancer, one of the earlier symptoms is hoarseness. This type of cancer occurs in the vocal cords area, which can affect closure of the vocal cords during speech, causing hoarseness. Some patients may also experience throat pain, abnormal bloody discharge from the throat, or have difficulties in breathing and swallowing, which could all be symptoms of laryngeal cancer. However, some patients may not show any symptoms in the early stages, especially those with supraglottic or subglottic laryngeal cancer, where early symptoms are not typical. Symptoms might only appear in the mid to late stages. Therefore, it is necessary to use a laryngoscope for examination and to perform a neck CT for a comprehensive evaluation.

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Written by Xu Qing Tian
Otolaryngology
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What should I do if I have a cough from throat cancer?

Laryngeal cancer is a common malignant tumor in otolaryngology. Patients with laryngeal cancer often experience coughs primarily because of the presence of tumors at the glottis, which then cause irritative coughs. For patients with the aforementioned symptoms, we should first diagnose the disease using a laryngoscope and CT scans of the throat area. Subsequently, it is crucial to remove the tumor through surgery as early as possible to achieve a complete cure. Post-surgery, patients usually undergo radiotherapy and chemotherapy. In the early stages before surgery, when the patient suffers from severe coughing, medications that clear the throat and benefit the voice can be used to alleviate the symptoms and reduce the patient's suffering. (Medication should be administered under the guidance of a doctor.)

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Written by Xu Qing Tian
Otolaryngology
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Can throat cancer be cured?

Laryngeal cancer is a type of malignant tumor in otolaryngology, divided into primary and secondary types. Secondary tumors refer to malignant tumors that have metastasized from other parts of the body, which are relatively rare; while primary tumors originate in the laryngeal area, with squamous cell carcinoma being the most common. For early-stage laryngeal cancer patients, it is generally necessary to detect and treat the disease early. Minimally invasive surgery using methods such as carbon dioxide laser can be used to remove the tumor, and patients can be cured. However, for hypopharyngeal cancer and late-stage tumors, due to the biological characteristics of the patients, early metastasis is common, making complete recovery difficult. Recurrence is also possible. Therefore, timely treatment is necessary, and postoperative radiotherapy and chemotherapy are needed to further augment treatment, aiming to extend the patient's survival period as much as possible.